Aural pleasure

Philip's appointment at the wonderful Alder Hey children's hospital ended happily as we were told his hearing was virtually back to normal, and no action would be required. When informed that he wouldn't need to have his ears syringed Philip looked mightily relieved, and a lovely smile spread across his face. A subsequent hearing test confirmed that his lugs were back to level of hearing considered normal. Due to the severity of his ear infection last year there was still some residue left in his left ear, and this would take some time to clear. His right ear however was immaculately clean, a fitting tribute to his worried parents who had faithfully applied olive oil for 3 weeks in an attempt to clear the wax. All 3 of us left the hospital in good form, with 1 of us now putting the morbid thoughts that had invaded their head to rest.

My respect for Alder hey and it's staff is well documented, and today only enhanced this reputation. Yet again the treatment and care was of the very highest standard, with Philip being made to feel very special indeed. I doff my hat to all of the people who made our visit today so enjoyable.

Going up.

The weekend saw the 08-09 football season draw to a close, and it ended on a high note for the Marshalls first team as we secured promotion to the second division of the West Cheshire League. A truly monumental effort over the last couple of months saw us secure 24 points out of possible 27. With all of our rivals regularly dropping points, we were able to clinch the runners up spot, and guarantee ourselves second tier football from August onwards. Considering the team has only been in existence for 2 seasons, and my own involvement as both player and Assistant Manager has been limited to this season, it is a genuine achievement, with the promise of much more to come. Yet, when the final whistle blew on Saturday, and promotion was finally confirmed, I experienced mixed emotions which threatened to spoil my celebrations.

Football has always played a major role in my life, both as a source of pleasure, and as a constant reminder of my short-comings. Early promise shown was never fulfilled as I lost interest and, most importantly, lost respect with myself and my playing career. Looking back I can draw few positives from my playing days as an adult, and I stopped playing before I reached 30. Parenthood revived my love for the game when Philip started playing as a wide-eyed 5 year old. When my offer to help run the Under 7s football team he had been selected for was accepted, I was back involved, and slowly falling back in love with football. I took my level 1 and 2 coaching awards, began regularly attending games at a variety of levels, and even played a few times, my new-found fitness, borne out of my running career, proving invaluable. My self-respect soared as I reminded myself that I could still play at a reasonable level, and I accepted an offer to become Assistant manager to the first team last summer, running alongside my job as manager of Philip's team. This season has been fantastic as I made 10 appearances in the team, scoring 2 goals along the way. I have learnt about player-management, the importance of preparation, and I have impressed myself and others with the level of devotion and commitment shown. The season, which at one point looked like it would end in disappointment, finished with a fanfare as we clinched runners-up. Whilst proud of the role I have played, and I genuinely believe I have made a significant contribution, I can't help feeling that I wish I had sorted myself out earlier, and I would now be looking back on a career to be proud of. Unfortunately I cannot do that, although I will enjoy many more special moments in the future I'm sure. But I wish it was 1990 all over again, only this time I would respect both myself and the game I love.

Watching the players dance around the pitch in delight, spray each other with fizzy wine in the dressing rooms, whilst looking forward to playing in a prestigious and competitive league, I comforted myself with the thought that by the time Philip reaches 18, we will hopefully be in an even higher division. The hard work being put in now will be reaped by the likes of my son and others as we have the ambition of playing non-league football. With a nucleus of young, (late thirties) Committee members, and with a sound financial infrastructure finally being put in place, the future is extremely bright. I just hope that this feeling in my stomach, a mixture of both sadness and regret, will finally be resolved, and I will be able to enjoy my involvement in football once again without constantly looking back in anger. Only time will tell.

Living with embarrassment

It's good to be back. Following a week in which I seem to have been busy all of the time, I am now able to sit down and reflect on the last few days. Last Friday was a particularly eventful day as I visited JMU for their open day, ahead of starting my Journalism course in September. I was experiencing some anxiety, given my status as a 'Mature Student,' and I was bracing myself for one or two embarrassing moments. When I arrived, I was greeted by a car park attendant who was operating the barrier. He asked me if I was the bus driver who would be driving the coach around the city to show the prospective students the sights of Liverpool. I shook my head and informed him that I was in fact there to have a look around the campus. But I wasn't even in and my cheeks were reddening.

Once inside I gave in my name to the woman on reception. As I was handed a paper bag with a few JMU freebies in, I scanned the room, and the sight which greeted me only added to my rosy glow. Around twenty young men and women were scattered about, most of them with their parents. The sad thing was that I was older than some of the parents. I sat next to a young man whilst we waited for the presentation to start but I didn't even attempt to make conversation. He looked gormless, disinterested and not in the least bit eager to talk to me. I sat and waited.

30 minutes later we were invited into a large lecture theatre to listen to various people inform us about the course, accommodation, finance etc... I lost count of the number of times they mentioned that this would be a stressful period, that there would be nobody there to clean their rooms, cook meals for them, (the student) etc..In short, the whole presentation was geared towards school-leavers, and wasn't applicable to the slightly overweight Probation worker sat a few rows from the front. But despite this I found myself listening intently, and feeling quite excited at the prospect of studying to become a Journalist. There are many interesting modules to be studied including Radio, Print and Online Journalism. The course appears to be everything I was hoping for, and more. As I made my way back to work after spending 2 hours in the campus where I will study for 3 years, I felt excited. It will be difficult, and I felt apprehensive on a number of occasions as they explained how much work is involved. But I have got a strong feeling that something good lies at the end of this journey, and so I will be doing my upmost to be successful. I also accept that living with embarrassment will be as much a part of the course as lectures, tutorials and essays.

Busy busy (again)

A normal service will be resumed tomorrow. I haven't had a minute to spare for days.

How embarassing

I'm going to John Moores University tomorrow for an open day. I received an invitation recently which asked if I would be bringing a parent along. I almost withdrew my application when I read the letter. Just imagine, if you can handle such a thought, a 38 year old man turning up with his 61 year old mother. Or his 63 year old father. My brain is incapable of conjuring up such an image so I will go alone, and make the most of the experience. I'm not looking forward to it at all though.

Wembley here we come!!!

A truly superb day as Everton reached their first FA Cup Final since 1995. Although me and Philip were in different places as the drama unfolded, the beautiful smile that was spread across his face when I got home was a worthy consolation. Like thousands of others, the search for tickets starts now. Cross everything, dad 'n lad must get there somehow.

The boy in the photo is a fellow Marshall who played for our team a year ago.

A football weekend

2 games today, then the BIG one tomorrow at Wembley. Although we never got tickets, (£250 each isn't viable or affordable) we will be cheering the lads on throughout. I've got a sneaky feeling we will do it, although that could be the crumpets digesting.

Check out www.marshallsfc.me.uk and www.marshallsfootballclub.co.uk for the match reports from this afternoon's games.